The possibility of using non-contacting operating elements based on gesture recognition is increasingly feasible through the implementation of optical sensors, and particularly camera systems, in motor vehicles. In hand or finger gesture recognition systems, the problem of false recognition of gestures arises, which is caused by the actuation of conventional operating elements that are located in the detection region of a gesture sensor, while e.g. motions for actuating switches or shift levers are detected and interpreted by the gesture recognition system as user inputs. The operating functions triggered in this manner can lead to undesirable or even dangerous situations.
In order to avoid this, it is known how to determine spatial limits for the gesture recognition system within which gestures should be recognized, and to avoid placement of additional operating elements in such a region. However, the problem also exists that for so-called multimodal operating concepts, gestures must also be recognized in places where other operating elements are located (such as e.g. a wiping gesture while operating a rotating pressure actuator.
Such an operating system with a multimodal operating concept is described in the German laid open patent DE 10 2007 040 A1. This document relates to a plurality of simultaneous operating actions that individually have no significance or one specific significance in combination with an additional operating action to assign a combined additional meaning Such precisely defined operating combinations are normally not critical.
It can be a problem, however, if the motion for a conventional operating action, such as for the actuation of a switch, is erroneously interpreted within the framework of a gesture recognition system as an operating gesture.